Hydrogen is desirable as a source of energy because it reacts cleanly with air producing water as a by-product. In order to enhance the desirability of hydrogen as a fuel source, particularly for mobile applications, it is desirable to increase the available energy content per unit volume of storage. Presently, this is done by conventional means such as storage under high pressure, at thousands of pounds per square inch, cooling to a liquid state, or absorbing hydrogen into a solid such as a metal hydride. Pressurization and liquification require relatively expensive processing and storage equipment.
Storing hydrogen in a solid material provides relatively high volumetric hydrogen density and a compact storage medium. Hydrogen stored in a solid is desirable since it can be released or desorbed under appropriate temperature and pressure conditions, thereby providing a controllable source of hydrogen.
Presently, it is desirable to maximize the hydrogen storage capacity or content released from the material, while minimizing the weight of the material to improve the gravimetric capacity. Further, many current materials only absorb or desorb hydrogen at very high temperatures and pressures. Thus, it is desirable to find a hydrogen storage material that generates or releases hydrogen at relatively low temperatures and pressures, and which has relatively high gravimetric hydrogen storage density.
Therefore, in response to the desire for an improved hydrogen storage medium, the present invention provides a method of storing and releasing hydrogen from storage materials, as well as improved hydrogen storage material compositions.